A new report alleges that a Qatar-funded nonprofit helped shape Arabic-language instruction and classroom materials in dozens of U.S. public school districts, with researchers flagging content they say included anti-Western and anti-Israel messaging. The findings center on Qatar Foundation International, known as QFI, which has funneled millions of dollars into American K-12 schools over more than a decade.
The report, produced by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in partnership with OpenTheBooks, identified at least 177 grants or similar allocations totaling $10.6 million spread across 24 school districts in 19 states and two charter schools, according to openthebooks.substack.com. The recipient districts reportedly include major cities such as New York, Chicago, Houston and Washington, D.C. Rachel O’Brien, identified as public policy editor at OpenTheBooks.com, partnered with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies on the report and says she obtained records through public-records requests, as reported by KATU.
What the Grants Paid For
QFI has helped fund the salaries of Arabic-language and culture teachers, along with travel for students and teachers to Middle Eastern countries, per the OpenTheBooks report. One example cited: a Chicago-area teacher's trip to Doha in March 2023 reportedly included a stay at a five-star hotel and a tour of Al Jazeera. Separately, Lindblom Math and Science Academy received a $154,109 QFI grant for the 2025–2026 academic year to support Arabic instruction, the same report found.
A broader review of records from 1,400 school districts found that QFI provided programming for U.S. schools, including Arabic lessons and other classroom materials, according to nbcmontana.com. O’Brien alleged that QFI had influence over classroom content through its curriculum grants, the outlet reported.
Allegations of Biased Content
O’Brien said some materials presented falsehoods about Israel and referred to terrorist groups as “resistance groups,” per the same account. She also said some lessons blurred the distinction between teaching about Islam and promoting Islamic beliefs and practices, and that school materials included visits to mosques and a Palestinian festival, according to KATU. The OpenTheBooks report separately described what it called clear instances of anti-Western and anti-Israel messaging in QFI-funded curricular material.
An agreement between QFI and Tucson Unified School District, valued at $465,000, allowed QFI staff to observe classrooms, monitor progress, administer Arabic proficiency tests and receive enrollment information, according to InfluenceWatch. That same source reported that QFI gave at least $30.6 million to U.S. public schools for Arabic-language programs between 2009 and 2017 — a figure that differs from the $10.6 million total cited in the OpenTheBooks report, though it is not established whether the two figures cover the same time period, recipients or types of funding.
Qatar's Response
Qatari authorities have stated in federal filings that QFI is exclusively a grant-making organization with no role in setting or influencing classroom content or management, according to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
The report also looked beyond Qatar, examining foreign influence tied to China and the Islamic Development Bank. It found that Islamic private K-12 schools in the U.S. received more than $17 million in funding from the Islamic Development Bank, and noted there has been less scrutiny of the roughly 500 Confucius Classrooms operating in K-12 public schools nationwide.
Transparency Push in Congress and Georgia
O’Brien said foreign contributions to K-12 schools are subject to different reporting requirements than foreign funding to universities, and that parents may not know when a foreign entity helps fund or shape classroom materials. She pointed to the federal Transparency in Reporting of Adversarial Contributions to Education Act, or TRACE Act, which according to congress.gov is meant to ensure parents are aware of foreign influence in their child's public school.
O’Brien said the TRACE Act would allow parents to request information about foreign-country or entity-of-concern funding tied to schools receiving federal funds, and would give parents access to information about what their children are taught. A press release from bean.house.gov dated Dec. 4, 2025, said the bill had passed the House, with Senate action still outstanding as of O’Brien's remarks.
At the state level, O’Brien said Georgia became the first state to require disclosure of foreign funding in K-12 schools. Separately, Georgia legislation known as HB 1379 would require public school districts, public universities and technical colleges to report foreign funding of $10,000 or more and specifically names Qatar and Saudi Arabia, according to Jewish Insider, which reported the bill had passed both chambers of the Georgia Assembly and was awaiting the governor's signature. O’Brien argued that Congress and state governments could review foreign funding arrangements and make the information available to parents and the public.
